Premium links:

ProVia Earns Second OSHA Star Award

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration recognized ProVia Door's Sugarcreek, Ohio, facility at an award ceremony last week with its Star award for meeting the highest standards of the OSHA Voluntary Protection Program.

In the VPP, management, labor, and OSHA establish cooperative relationships at workplaces that have implemented a comprehensive safety and health management system. Approval into VPP is OSHA’s official recognition of the outstanding efforts of employers and employees who have achieved exemplary occupational safety and health. The Star status is VPP’s highest recognition, and ProVia Door is only one of 83 establishments in the state of Ohio to receive this award, the manufacturer notes.

“In June of 2007, after many months of preparation, our Walnut Creek facility received the company’s first VPP Star," said Brian Miller, president, at the ceremony. "At that time, ProVia Door was the first metal window and door manufacturer to become a Star site. Now, three years later, there are only three Star work sites in this industrial classification…and two of those three are ProVia Door facilities. If you broaden the scope to include all companies in the window & door industry, including the wood manufacturers, there are 2,900 establishments and only nine are VPP Star sites—again, two of those nine are ProVia Door facilities. This is something to be very proud of.”

Present at last week's ceremony were State Representative Allen Sayre and Tuscarawas County Commissioners Kerry Metzger and Chris Abbuhl. Metzger commended ProVia Door as an example of how business and government regulation can co-exist. He stated that many times business and government appear to fight against each other; however, the VPP program has enabled both parties to come together for the mutual goal of protecting the health and safety of people.

“I would like to thank our corporate safety director, Chad Yoder, for driving this process," noted Miller. "His passion for improved health and safety has resulted in an increased awareness of the potential dangers that lie around us each day. His methods of training have equipped each individual with the knowledge it takes to navigate these dangers. As our minds are changed on matters of health and safety, we act on this knowledge not only in the workplace, but at home and in the community.”